Toto Wolff reflects on Mercedes’ non-title years: ‘We weren’t complete losers’
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the squad wasn’t “complete losers” in its four years without a Formula 1 world title.
The Silver Arrows claimed their ninth constructors’ championship on Sunday at the Brazilian Grand Prix, one week after Kimi Antonelli became F1’s youngest world drivers’ champion.
Mercedes came out on top as F1 switched to new chassis and power unit regulations for 2026, but the previous ground-effect era had been tough for the outfit – it took just seven victories from 2022-2025, compared to 12 this year alone.
“The thing is, when you are in these difficult moments, like we all are sometimes in our lives, it’s not that easy to keep going,” Wolff said. “Because looking back in retrospect, you’re saying, ‘We needed these tough moments in order to grow as people or to grow as an organisation’. But when you’re down, that is quite difficult to feel.
“So looking back, I think those last four years were very difficult, between getting it wrong and then kind of understanding why it was wrong and then realising, no, we didn’t understand. And that was a big back and forth.
“But we will be looking back in 10 or 20 years, and when you look at the statistics, it wasn’t that we were complete losers over those four years, because we finished [third, second, fourth, second successively]. We won races, many races.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Mercedes
Photo by: Alex Bierens de Haan / Getty Images
“So it wasn’t that bad at all when you look at the sheer numbers, but it felt not good. And the resilience of the team – the people that held together in those tough times – is a factor.
“So it feels really good sealing those two titles. Not many sports teams have done that after a consecutive run of championships, then a difficult spell, and then coming back. So I’m really proud that we are part of this very small group of teams that have done that in all sports.”
Mercedes’ ninth constructors’ title means it has equalled Williams in F1’s history books and is just one crown away from McLaren. Ferrari is the record holder with 16 championship victories.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com Team
